Thanh Hoa Club firmly in the lead, Coach Popov unexpectedly praises the referee

“VAR was the main part of this match,” Thanh Hoa FC coach Velizar Popov said after the match in round 8 of the 2024-2025 V.League. The Bulgarian coach is famous for his reactions and offensive statements towards referees. However, this time, Mr. Popov sent his thanks to the "judging" team.

Thanh Hoa's coach added: "You all know how referees are, so if VAR hadn't intervened, things wouldn't have turned out the way they did. Today the referee team did the right thing, I want to thank them."

Coach Velizar Popov

The match between The Cong Viettel and Thanh Hoa received much attention in round 8 of V.League. There were 3 goals scored in the first half. The referee also asked for the help of VAR twice to make decisions in sensitive situations.

This was also the match in which Thanh Hoa FC played with one less player throughout the second half. The climax came in the last minute of extra time when referee Le Vu Linh awarded The Cong Viettel a penalty after a collision between Gustavo and Tran Danh Trung in the penalty area. However, VAR intervened and the referee changed his decision.

In addition to thanking the referee, Coach Popov praised his players: “ My players were perfect in today's match. We know that The Cong Viettel is a strong team, they have a quality squad, but Thanh Hoa has prepared carefully for the match from tactics to physical strength. With 10 men on the field and leaving with a victory, I thank my players.”

The victory at Hang Day Stadium helped Thanh Hoa FC maintain the top position in the V.League 2024-25 rankings with 17 points. Coach Popov and his team's form has been maintained with a series of 7 consecutive unbeaten matches in the past nearly 2 months.

Minh Chau

Source: https://vtcnews.vn/club-thanh-hoa-vung-ngoi-dau-hlv-popov-bat-ngo-khen-trong-tai-ar907726.html